I did not get a chance to sit down and watch last night’s 6-3 loss to the Leafs, so there will be no recap or goal breakdown. In its stead, there has been a bunch of little things on my mind regarding the Rangers and this season, so let’s dive right in.
1. I wrote at length about the goalie “changing of the guard” yesterday, and I stand by my words that I don’t think this moment is that changing of the guard. Alex Georgiev is a very good goalie. Henrik Lundqvist isn’t an elite goalie anymore, but is also still very capable. Igor Shesterkin is the heir apparent. There is no rush to make a decision here. Let’s see how the rest of this plays out. For all we know, Georgiev could retire to become an Antarctican monk or something. This whole “you can’t leave Shesterkin in the AHL forever” thing is true, but the kid also sees what is going on in the NHL right now. Something will happen, but it doesn’t have to be right away.
2. Brady Skjei has stepped up his game a lot recently, and the Rangers certainly needed this from him. He had a bunch of rough seasons after signing his deal, but it looks like he finally adjusted to his new 1LD role. If he can simply keep up with Jacob Trouba, then there are no problems here.
3. Sean Tierney recently posted the bottom Goals Above Replacement players, and the Rangers had three players on that list: Brett Howden, Kaapo Kakko, and Marc Staal. Staal and Howden aside for a moment, Kakko on that list is troubling. This isn’t one of those “oh he’s a bust” moments or “oh it’s all the system” moments. I’d like to see him stay on a line with consistent linemates to see what he can do in more than just 20 minute clips with different teammates. There’s also nothing wrong with him sitting for a game to catch his breath. Even at the #2 overall pick, he’s going to have struggles.
4. Speaking of line changes, it’s time David Quinn stopped juggling the lines every period. Put the kids in a position to grow and let it go from there. Chemistry does mean something, and it’s tough to get chemistry when your linemates change mid-shift.
5. My other gripe is putting a right handed shooter at the right circle on the powerplay. Just stop, but a lefty there. We went through this already.
6. But you know where handedness is severely overblown? On the blue line. I understand why it’s nice to have three lefties and three righties, and yes there is a slight disadvantage to have a defenseman on the weak side. But it is better to have the superior player on his weak side than to have the inferior player on his strong side. In a season of more lineup changes than goals scored, why hasn’t this been tried yet?
7. One last thing: This season is all about development and progress. If the Rangers are better in March than they are now, and are better now than they were in October, then that is progress. Missing the forest for the trees is real sometimes, and we may focus on a few smaller troubles while missing the bigger picture.
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